The present application relates to pest control, and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to techniques for maintaining palatability of a bait material included in a pest control device.
The removal of pests from areas occupied by humans, livestock, and crops has long been a challenge. Pests of frequent concern include various types of insects and rodents. Subterranean termites are a particularly troublesome type of pest with the potential to cause severe damage to wooden structures. Various schemes have been proposed to eliminate termites and certain other harmful pests of both the insect and noninsect variety. In one approach, pest control relies on the blanket application of chemical pesticides in the area to be protected. However, this approach is becoming less desirable than targeted pesticide delivery, which can be more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Recently, advances have been made to provide for the targeted delivery of pesticide chemicals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,090 to Su is one example. Another example directed to termite control is the SENTRICON TERMITE COLONY ELIMINATION SYSTEM™ of Dow AgroSciences that has a business address of 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, Ind. In this system, a number of units each having a termite edible material, are placed in the ground about a dwelling to be protected. The units are inspected routinely by a pest control service for the presence of termites, and inspection data is recorded with reference to a unique barcode label associated with each unit. If termites are found in a given unit, a bait is installed that contains a slow-acting pesticide intended to be carried back to the termite nest to eradicate the colony. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,724,312; 7,212,112; and 7,212,129; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001/0033230 and 2001/0054962 provide further examples.
In certain instances, the bait degrades with exposure to moisture, which can undermine its appeal to targeted pests, and sometimes results in improper operation of associated sensors (if present). Frequently, it is desirable to maintain the palatability of the bait over a longer period of time and/or better control moisture intrusion. Thus, there is a demand for further contributions in this area of technology.